CCSA Report: Effect of Cannabis Use During Adolescence

On June 17th. the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) published a report titled “The Effect of Cannabis Use During Adolescence”. The report sheds critical light on how using cannabis (also known as marijuana) affects the developing adolescent brain.

Canadian youth have the highest rate of marijuana use in the developed world, and marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug among Canadians aged 15 to 24 years. Today’s report confirms that early and frequent marijuana use among this age group involves a greater risk of cognitive and behavioural impairment than marijuana use among adults. Compiled by several well-known and respected experts in the field of marijuana research, The Effects of Cannabis Use during Adolescence provides a high-level, broad overview of the latest research on the issue. It gives valuable and useful evidence to teachers, healthcare providers and policy makers to help them develop and employ more effective youth drug use prevention and intervention programs. It will also help increase knowledge and understanding among parents, communities and people working with youth about the effects that marijuana use, particularly regular use, can have in adolescence and beyond.

“CCSA’s report gives a solid summary of the latest research around the effects of cannabis use during adolescence, and provides professionals with information that is based in evidence — rather than myth or hype — that will be useful to parents and youth. The report is particularly important during this time of increasing public debate about the place of marijuana within Canadian society to better inform this discourse.”